The ridiculous violence in N.O.
I wasn't trying to "disrespect" your post....only to say that the points you made that rural and city life are completely uncomparable is wrong IMO. Poverty, poor schools, and drugs exist everywhere....including the rural parishes. Yet, some parishes see one homicide a year! I see more cohesive families, neighbors that care, and better overall respect of others in the boonies. That's a big deal if you ask me.
Just because they exist everywhere, doesn't mean that they are equal. Are you really going to tell me that the drug culture in these areas that you are talking about is the same as in Central City or Hollygrove? Have you ever been to those areas? Are there people standing on the corners selling drugs in your rural areas?
No, there aren't, so they aren't the same. You said it yourself, which is why I'm not understanding your point. You say that there is family structure, neighbors that care.
Don't you think that those kinds of things rub off on children growing up? Don't you think that a kid growing up in Central City or Hollygrove has a lot less of a chance to turn into a positive member of society than these rural areas?
Are there aggressive police forces, like the NOPD, roaming around these rural areas, picking up random people walking down the street to stop and frisk them? Nope, that doesn't really happen there either. And this is how people end up with records at an early age, even if they just have a joint in their pocket, while their young counterpart in the rural parishes wouldn't be bothered by the police walking down the street.
There are actual role models in these rural areas. There are more complete families, with a working mother and father. There are more parents that actually graduated from high school. There are more parents that aren't drug addicts.
How many more differences do you really need? Both areas have problems, really, but they aren't remotely on the same level of severity.
Whether or not this is a mirage or not, the perception is violence in New Orleans is now spilling over into "touristy" areas. Thugs are more brazen....they will pop a cap in an enemy on Bourbon Street in front of tens of witnesses now....when in the past (it seems like) they would only pull off something like that in a dark alley or where they would not get caught so easily. The shootings in broad daylight are especially worrisome. Flinging lead at noon in the middle of a kid's birthday party??? Really?
That stuff has always happened. It didn't happen often then, and it doesn't happen often now. No way for me to prove it I suppose, but you just hear about it now so much more often because of the internet.
You really think New Orleans is more dangerous now than the early to mid 90's? Not even close.
It makes people that do not understand inner city life scratch their heads. I just don't understand.
So why worry about it? I'm not sitting here wondering why people want to live in the middle of nowhere.
I love New Orleans. I love living in here. Every time I get off the interstate into one of the NOLA neighborhoods I get an indescribable bolt of energy. I've never felt that feeling anywhere else that I've been to. So I wouldn't trade living here, for living in the middle of nowhere, even if the murder rate was twice as high as it is now.
New Orleans isn't for everyone. No great city is.